Praxis Ed

Frequenty Asked Questions

Can I use the program on a smartphone?

Yes, the site works on all popular mobile devices. For best results, go to our mobile site. It's specially formatted for a small screen and will remember that you're logged in.

We recommend that you bookmark Praxis Ed on your home screen. On the iPhone, go to the mobile page, press the bookmark button, and then choose Add to Home Screen from the menu. On the Android, first bookmark the mobile page, and then go to the bookmarks folder, long-press Praxis Ed, and choose Add to Home Screen.

I need to prepare for the KSAT. What words should I study?

The Praxis Core study lists cover the words which commonly appear on KSAT exams. Go to Vocabulary » Study Options and choose Praxis Core Level 1. If it is too easy for you, you can move up to a higher level Core list at any time.

Sample words from the Praxis Core study list:

run offaggressiveevidenceamount to

whereaspanelcivilwire

go aboutconfirmministerreflect

pronounceabsorbregulationbreak out

customsharpfederalgather

gainwelfarewingmurder

common senseharmwageholy

I need to prepare for the TOEIC. What words should I study?

The Praxis TOEIC study lists cover the words which commonly appear on TOEIC exams. Go to Vocabulary » Study Options and choose Praxis TOEIC Level 1. If it is too easy for you, you can move up to a higher level TOEIC list at any time.

Sample words from the Praxis TOEIC study list:

predictexpandapproximatelyrequire

financemajoreconomypromotion

regionaffectindicatedemand

recommendvarybenefitforecast

appropriateoperateaccording toorganize

forceemployencouragelabor

submitpublishtransferrange

I'm preparing to study abroad. What words should I study?

The Praxis University study lists cover the words which commonly appear in academic writing and on exams such as the TOEFL and IELTS. Go to Vocabulary » Study Options and choose Praxis University Level 1. If it is too easy for you, you can move up to a higher level University list at any time.

Sample words from the Praxis University study list:

specificsignificantanalyzeeconomy

consistbenefitprocedurecontract

availableestablishfinancemajority

formulasourceinvolveprocess

rangeperiodcreativeevidence

constitutelaborrespondderive

individualresourceoccurfocus

What kinds of exercises will I get?

As you've probably seen in the sampler on our main page, there are many different kinds of exercises in the Praxis Ed vocabulary program.

Some exercises have you recognize the word when you see it, while others help you understand the word when you hear it. Some exercises challenge you to recall the word from memory (and spell it correctly!), while others help you learn how to use the word like native speakers do.

Every review of the word is given in a different type of exercise or in a different context to deepen your knowledge. With the Praxis Ed vocabulary system, you'll understand the word when you read or listen to it and you'll be able to use the word in your speaking and writing.

I need to learn 50 words per day. What should I do?

Some teachers claim to be able to teach students 20, 50, or even 100 words per day, but a year from now, how many of these words are you going to remember? Chances are, it's not very many. You may be able to memorize them for a test, but you'll end up having to re-learn them later. The end result is just wasted time.

In fact, children learning their first language progress only at about 1000 words per year, or about three words per day, and they're immersed in the language all day every day.

Our research shows that five to seven words per day is a reasonable amount for adult learners. If this seems like too few, keep in mind that learning on Praxis Ed is both thorough and permanent. Once you've studied on Praxis Ed for a year, you will have at least 1000 words that you never, ever have to worry about again.

I already know some of the words that I'm studying. Do I have to study these words too?

We recommend that you do. It's good to review some words which are not new for you, as there might be some information about the word (how it's used by native speakers, recognizing it when you hear it, spelling it correctly, etc.) that can help you deepen your knowledge.

However, if you would like to focus on completely new words, the Praxis system will allow you to do that. Go to Vocabulary » Future Words, and you can see what words will be coming up. You can then choose which of these words you wish to study first. Once the words you chose are in your Word Bank you can change to another list.

If I change my study list, will I lose the words I've already studied?

No. Once you have started studying a word, it goes permanently into your Word Bank. Once a word is in your word bank, it comes back for review even if you change your study list.

Do I have to study all the words on a study list?

No, you don't. You can change to another study list at any time, and you can also choose which words you want to study. Go to Vocabulary » Future Words, and you can see what words will be coming up. You can then choose which of these words you wish to study first. (If you don't choose any words here, the program will choose words for you.)

Is it better to study with the English-only option?

We recommend that Korean and Japanese learners use the (default) bilingual option. Research has shown that when students learn words from English-only definitions, even intermediate and advanced learners often misunderstand and thus do not have a correct understanding of what the word means.

Of course, many words do not translate exactly into another language, and relying on word-to-word translation can lead to problems. To give students the best understanding of new words possible, the Praxis system gives an English definition and a translation of that definition.

Finally, we've designed the program to move students away from translation exercises to English-only exercises. We feel that this is the most effective way for students to learn the correct meaning of new English words without unnecessary frustration and misunderstanding.

What happens if I get a question wrong?

If you choose a wrong answer, the program will assume that you need a little more work with that word. Two more exercises are added to your study session — one is a review exercise, and the other is a repeat of the exercise you missed.

What happens if I use the hint button?

The hint button will take away all incorrect letters and/or give you one correct letter of the answer. You may press hint as many times as you like, but if you use it, then you get two review exercises (just like when you choose a wrong answer).

Why can't I do more than one session per day?

Memory research has shown that information is retained better when there are breaks between study sessions. We actually learn and remember things better when we have some rest time between study sessions.

The same principles apply in body building. If you exercise one day, you need to rest your muscles so they can recover and grow stronger. In learning information, your memory also benefits from having a break before studying more.

For this reason, it is not really helpful to do extra study on the words between Praxis Ed sessions, and may actually even slow down your learning.

What if I don't have time to finish a session in one day?

No problem. You can sign out at any time, and the computer will remember exactly where you are. You may take as long as you like to finish a session.